MonticelloLive

Here is a news release about the Forestry Display in the State Capitol. The champion loblolly pine tree cookie in the exhibit is on loan from the UAM School of Forest Resources. 

Anyone who gets the chance to go to Little Rock and has a few spare minutes,  stop by the Capitol to see the exhibit. It will be there through the end of  August.

This five foot cookie, or cross-sectional slice, of the largest known of  recorded loblolly pine tree in the nation marks historical dates in the  Arkansas pine’s life.

(LITTLE ROCK, AR)-Secretary of State Charlie Daniels announced the summer  2008 State Capitol exhibit, Of Memories and Trees, which will examine  Arkansas’s rural and urban forests and those who have made them their  business.

From the late 1800s to today, Arkansas’s forest industries have contributed  significantly to the state’s economy by producing fuel, timber, and raw  materials from hundreds of thousands of acres. For many Arkansans, however,  forestry means aesthetics in civic landscapes, public parks and recreation  areas, as well as the provision of habitat for wildlife.

Both constituencies are linked by the recognition of exceptional trees based  on rarity, size, particular beauty, or historical associations. In 1997, the  Arkansas Famous and Historic Trees Program was established to build  awareness of and appreciation for the state’s notable arboreal citizens.

Of Memories and Trees features thirty-three such trees and tree communities  enrolled on the program’s register. Rare images of forestry reproduced from  vintage glass lantern slides illustrate the early days of the Arkansas  timber industry. Tools of loggers, arborists, and forest rangers show the  wide range of equipment, from simple to complex, used in the woods. A  highlight of the exhibit is a five-foot-wide “cookie,” or complete cross-sectional slice, of the nation’s champion (largest known or recorded)  loblolly pine tree. Although high winds and age claimed it several years  ago, this tree was the first nominated for the program’s registry.

Also of note to tree enthusiasts, A Walk on the Hill, a self-guided tour of  the grounds and monuments, is coming soon to the Arkansas State Capitol. The  informative brochure pinpointing all of the unique trees living on the  historic Capitol grounds will be available by the end of the month at the  Visitor Services Center located in the first floor rotunda.

“I encourage all Arkansans to make a trip to their State Capitol this summer  to get a closer look at the Natural State’s offerings as presented in the  forestry exhibit and in the more than 30 tree varieties located on the  grounds of our majestic building,” Daniels said.

The Arkansas forestry exhibit will remain on view in the Capitol’s  first-floor display cases from June 13 through August from 7:00 a.m. to 5:00  p.m. on weekdays and from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on weekends and holidays